Cutting Edge Homes, Inc., a Massachusetts design-build firm led by president Sean R. Cutting, has been involved in three known lawsuits since 2020 and has drawn a cluster of consumer complaints alleging misused deposits and abandoned projects. The Cutting Edge Homes lawsuits include a tortious interference case the company lost on appeal in 2024, a homeowner breach-of-contract case that settled for $80,000, and a pending 2025 case in which the company obtained a preliminary injunction against the homeowners who sued it.
The 2024 Appeals Court Loss Against Architect Alan Mayer
The most legally significant matter is Cutting Edge Homes, Inc. v. Alan J. Mayer, decided by the Appeals Court of Massachusetts on February 27, 2024. Cutting Edge had sued Mayer, an architect hired by homeowners Rory and Sharon Shapiro to review the company’s work and invoices on a renovation contract initially valued at $2.15 million. Mayer repeatedly told the Shapiros that Cutting Edge was overbilling them by hundreds of thousands of dollars, and in October 2019 the Shapiros terminated the contract, citing “routine overbilling,” and hired a different contractor Mayer had recommended.1vLex. Cutting Edge Homes, Inc. v. Mayer, 229 N.E.3d 6132Findlaw. Cutting Edge Homes, Inc. v. Alan J. Mayer
Cutting Edge filed suit in Superior Court in March 2020, alleging intentional interference with contractual or advantageous business relations. The company originally named the Shapiros as defendants and brought a separate claim under G.L. c. 93A, the Massachusetts consumer protection statute. The claims against the Shapiros were settled and dismissed with prejudice, and the 93A claim against Mayer was dismissed by stipulation in October 2022. That left only the tortious interference count, which Judge Joseph F. Leighton Jr. resolved on summary judgment in Mayer’s favor.2Findlaw. Cutting Edge Homes, Inc. v. Alan J. Mayer3Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly. Contract; Tortious Interference; Improper Motive or Means
On appeal, a three-judge panel led by Judge John C. Englander affirmed. The panel acknowledged that a jury could reasonably find some of Mayer’s statements negligent or even grossly negligent, and it disagreed with the trial court on causation, noting a jury could find Mayer’s communications contributed to the termination. But negligence alone does not satisfy the “improper motive or means” element of a tortious interference claim under Massachusetts law. That element requires “conduct amounting to deceit or dishonesty,” and because Mayer was hired specifically to review the company’s work and invoicing, his communications fell within the scope of his professional engagement. The record showed “honest disagreement and efforts to work through issues, not bad faith.”4Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly. Negligence Not a Basis for Tortious Interference Claim1vLex. Cutting Edge Homes, Inc. v. Mayer, 229 N.E.3d 613
The Martz Breach-of-Contract Case
Homeowners Thomas and Diana Martz sued Cutting Edge on June 1, 2021, in Norfolk County Superior Court over a home improvement project at a property in Wellesley, Massachusetts. The case was marked by discovery disputes. The court found that Cutting Edge violated discovery orders issued in September 2021 and February 2022, and in August 2022 a motion for sanctions was partially granted, awarding the plaintiffs $27,495.94 in attorneys’ fees and costs.5Trellis Law. Martz, Thomas Et Al Vs. Cutting Edge Homes, Inc.
The parties settled. An agreement for judgment was entered on September 21, 2023, for $80,000 in favor of the Martzes, reduced by any payments already made under a January 2023 settlement agreement. Cutting Edge’s counterclaims were dismissed with prejudice, and the plaintiffs filed a satisfaction of judgment in full on November 29, 2023. The case is closed.5Trellis Law. Martz, Thomas Et Al Vs. Cutting Edge Homes, Inc.
The Pending Roffel Case and the Injunction Against the Homeowners
The most recent lawsuit, Roffel, Aaron Et Al v. Cutting, Sean R. Et Al, was filed on June 13, 2025, in Middlesex County Superior Court. It names both Cutting Edge Homes and Sean R. Cutting personally, and is docketed as a commercial breach-of-contract claim brought by Aaron and Ashley Roffel.6Trellis Law. Roffel, Aaron Et Al Vs. Cutting, Sean R. Et Al
Cutting Edge counterclaimed for tortious interference and won early ground. On September 19, 2025, Judge Hélène Kazanjian granted a preliminary injunction in the company’s favor, finding that Cutting Edge “is likely to prevail on the merits of its tortious interference Counterclaim.” The order bars the Roffels from initiating contact with the company’s current clients, potential clients, vendors, or other third parties to discuss the company or the lawsuit. They may still post about their own experiences on public review sites and speak with anyone who contacts them first, but they cannot proactively reach out to other users on those sites about the company. The underlying breach-of-contract claims and the counterclaim remain pending.6Trellis Law. Roffel, Aaron Et Al Vs. Cutting, Sean R. Et Al
Consumer Complaints and BBB Rating
Outside the courts, Cutting Edge Homes has drawn a pattern of consumer complaints. Its Better Business Bureau profile carries a D- rating, and its BBB accreditation has been revoked. As of 2025, four complaints had been filed in the preceding three years, with two listed as unresolved and one unanswered.7Better Business Bureau. Cutting Edge Homes, Inc. – Complaints
The complaints share recurring themes. Multiple complainants allege that deposits were collected but never forwarded to subcontractors or suppliers. In one 2025 complaint, a client reported paying $14,000 for a cabinet project, then learning from the cabinet manufacturer that Cutting Edge never passed along the deposit. Several clients allege that subcontractors went unpaid for extended periods, leading to work stoppages and at least one mechanics lien on a client’s property. Others describe dozens of unanswered calls, texts, and emails to the company’s president, and projects halted before completion with inspections left unfinished.7Better Business Bureau. Cutting Edge Homes, Inc. – Complaints
In responses to certain BBB complaints, the company acknowledged experiencing “cash flow constraints” in late 2023 and early 2024 and confirmed that it had advised some clients to pay subcontractors and vendors directly to keep projects moving. The company characterized other disputes as miscommunications and attributed project issues to the complexities of custom and historic home renovations.7Better Business Bureau. Cutting Edge Homes, Inc. – Complaints
About the Company
Cutting Edge Homes, Inc. operates as a residential design-build firm serving the greater Boston area. The company started in 2004 and was incorporated in Massachusetts on January 4, 2012. Sean R. Cutting serves as president, and the firm maintains offices in Ashland and Hingham, Massachusetts.8Better Business Bureau. Cutting Edge Homes, Inc.